"Hurry it up, already," the samurai minoTauros Keaton said through the
bathroom door in the room he shared with his equally samurai
wereNinetales sister, Kitsu.  "We're going to be late enough as it is."

"All right, I'm done," Kitsu said as she came out of the bathroom.  She
was wearing what could be considered a minidress, although it was more
like a short, sleeveless robe with a yellow floral pattern.  "What do
you think?"

"A yukata?" Keaton questioned.  "Not quite as ridiculous as the
magic-girl outfit you were wearing before, but I still have to question
its usefulness."

"I just think it looks cute," Kitsu said, posing a little.  "Plus it's
lined with kevlar so it still acts as armor, and I can wear it
regardless of my form.  Also, um..." She scratched the back of her head
and blushed a little.  "I figured if Aerie saw me in it, she might snap
out of her Shadow state."

"Ooooh... I see," Keaton said with a lecherous grin.  "Think it might
turn her on?  Ignite the flames of passion so that she'll find her way
to the light and conquer evil?  I don't know if it'd work, but I like
your thinking."

The redness in Kitsu's face changed from that of embarrassment to anger.
 "I swear Keaton, you see everything in a sexual context.  You know I
don't feel that way about Aerie."

"Yeah, but I know that you know she feels that way about you," Keaton
said as they left their room.  "She may be into Jeff now, but that
spark's still there.  I don't think I'm that far off... Oh, hey Keiko."

Keiko had been waiting outside Kitsu & Keaton's room for a while, hoping
to have a word with them once they got out.  Today the strawberry-blonde
had chosen to wear a pair of cut-off denim shorts and an orange tube
top, in addition to her usual emerald hair clip and Skyler the Swablu
perched atop her hair.  She also carried a second Pokemon in her arms,
the Jigglypuff she borrowed from Lute.

"Hey, guys," Keiko greeted.

"Did you find those two people you were looking for?" Kitsu inquired.

"Funny you should ask that," Keiko said.  She had spent her time waiting
trying to figure out what she was going to say to them.  What she came
up with wasn't an outright lie as much as it was a careful rearranging
of the truth.  "You see, a while back they stole a Pokemon from me.
When I found them, they told me that their Pokemon had been taken from
them, and that you had it."

"Hmm, doesn't really ring a bell," Keaton said thoughfully.

"No, wait, it was on that cruise, wasn't it?" Kitsu answered.  "The one
we took on the way here to Hoenn.  We had a run-in with a couple of
smugglers, and I confiscated their Pokemon so I could find its rightful
owner.  I almost forgot all about it.  It was so long ago, I'm not even
sure what the Pokemon was."

'So they did steal it,' Keiko thought.  She glanced down at the
Jigglypuff, who was ready to take it's testimony.

"Can I see it?" she asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"It could be hers, for all we know," Keaton added.

"Don't look at me, I don't have it," Kitsu replied.  "I gave it to you,
remember?"

"Oh, right," Keaton said, searching his samurai robes for the PokeBall.
 "It was the same day we raided that Team Magma base.  Good thing, too.
 They flooded the base with lava and you lost your clothes when you
dove into a pool of it without a second thought to rescue Aerie."

"Was it absolutely necessary to tell her that?" Kitsu demanded, her
tails bristling.

"I'm just putting the whole thing in context," Keaton said.  He produced
the PokeBall and tossed it into the air.  "Let's see if this thing
recognizes you... or is at least still alive."

To be continued...?

[NS: Steffan, you're going to have to give me a hand here.  I seriously
don't remember what this Pokemon was.]